A Dimorphic Fungus Causing Disseminated Infection in South Africa

In the context of immunologic failure associated with advanced HIV infection, a novel dimorphic fungus in the genus emmonsia is identified as an important cause of human disease. This report describes 13 cases of infection with this organism in Cape Town, South Africa. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in an epidemic of opportunistic fungal diseases, some of which are caused by new and emerging fungal pathogens. 1 Much remains to be learned about the endemic fungi of sub-Saharan Africa. For example, considerable differences have been noted between the African and North American varieties of Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis . 2 The genus emmonsia contains three species associated with human disease. Emmonsia crescens and Emmonsia parva are the agents of adiaspiromycosis, a pulmonary disease of small mammals and occasionally of humans. 3 Emmonsia pasteuriana infection has been described in a . . .